Don Imus' racist drivel seems to have pushed the British-Iranian boat brouhaha off the front pages before I got around to commenting on it. But in all the rhetoric and uncertainty, I think there's one important aspect of that controversy that's worthy of consideration. It will probably never be definitely proven whether or not the Brits had trespassed in Iran's waters, so people will be free to believe whatever they choose. My own belief is that if they were where they weren't supposed to be, it was probably accidental. But in all the uncertainty, one thing is certain.

I realize there has been a shortage of horseplay topics here recently. That hasn't been dure to a shortage of horseplay. Although January and February basically sucked, March was a pretty good month. But if I had written about each hunt, they all would have been about the same: "Crossbo was awesome. We had fun." But now that the season has ended, I guess a summary is due.

There have been some technical changes here at Matt's Mindless Musings, inspired partly by boredom and partly by the never-ending war on spam. Unlike previous changes which added more cumbersome restrictions in an attempt to keep spammers at bay, some of the latest changes might actually make the site more friendly to casual visitors.

Just a brief note to gloat about Scooter Libby's conviction. It's ironic that some of the hard-core law-and-order Republicans are starting to talk about pardons. In fact, that jogged my memory a little, reminding me of something I wrote here almost four years ago. Way back when this story was hardly getting any attention at all, I suggested a somewhat different outcome for the then-unknown villain. But in spite of all his "stay the course, no flip-flop" rhetoric, consistency has never been one of our president's strong points.

It's not really a new idea; I've made similar comments previously. But I still want to give a big high five to my buddy Dennis for this quote:

It must be really tough for candidates for President to come before the American people, and claim that they were ... tricked ... deceived ... misled ... by GEORGE BUSH???

Since I don't watch TV, I guess maybe I'm too easily shocked when I find out what kinds of crap people are watching. A recent New Yorker article about Fox's 24 raises some very frightening questions about the psyche of the large segment of our population that devours this garbage.

I normally don't have much to say about the entertainment world, but I have to cheer for the Dixie Chicks and their Grammy Awards. It's somewhat ironic that I first heard the news from Clear Channel's Republican asshole DJs griping about it. Normally the Clear Channel team's Limbaugh-like drivel makes me want to shoot my radio, but this morning their venom was pure sweetness to me.

The lesson for today was obviously "Do the right thing". And now, at the end of the day, the right thing was obviously hunting. But earlier in the day, if I had been superstitious, I might have wondered if I was being set up for a different lesson about priorites or tempting fate.

The first apology is for being a wimp and skipping the first part of my usual Martin Luther King Day routine. Monday morning brought a continuation of the rain that had been falling all weekend, and I just couldn't get motivated to march through Lexington in the rain. I know that Dr. King and those who marched with him faced far greater adversities than a little bit of rain. If they had been so easily discouraged, our nation would be far worse off than it is today. But fortunately, thanks to Dr. King, and those who carried on his work after his death, the kind of protests and demands for change that he led are far less necessary, and recent marches are more a celebration of diversity and an acknowledgment of his accomplishments than an ongoing struggle for justice. And since the Lexington march usually draws a fairly good crowd, I didn't think my absence would make much of a difference.

In recent days, GW Bush and Deadeye Dick Cheney have both attacked critics of Bush's Iraq war escalations, saying the critics are not suggesting any alternatives. From GW: "To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible." From the Dickster: "They have absolutely nothing to offer in its place. I have yet to hear a coherent policy from the Democratic side." That's the kind of rhetoric that probably appeals to their base, who love anything that sounds good regardless of whether it's true. It just so happens there has been at least one coherent policy suggested. I recently received email from my buddy, Ohio Congressman and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, spelling out his 12-point proposal for resolution of the Iraq conflict.